It’s too bad that America sees Atlanta, black women, and maybe even women in general through the lens of The ‘Real Housewives’ franchise. When the first episodes of Atlanta aired, my upstate New York hairstylist gasped and gawped about the wealth and glam. To paraphrase her: Oh, the hair! the really short dresses! (and the token white girl!) I had to reply, with that special brand of irony that educators cultivate: “Lovey, I think you’ve probably never seen rich black women before.” So I did my part to defend the Atlanta women.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Go To Africa
January 18, 2012 By 13 Comments
‘The whole African American thing’
January 12, 2012 By 13 Comments
UPDATED: NBC’s “Late Night with Jay Leno” is hardly considered a cultural arbiter anymore (except for its baby boomer viewers and for the mostly white supporters of the Republican Party) but in South Africa the appearance of comedian Trevor Noah on the show last week is big news. Noah is a big name back home for his send-ups (more like impressions) of popular politicians and racial stereotypes, some more successful than others, and for shilling for a mobile phone company. Nonetheless, having heard so much from people in South Africa about how funny Noah is–and he is certainly talented–and happy to root for fellows from the continent, I was excited for his first appearance on American TV. Significantly, Noah was apparently also the first African comedian to appear in the stand-up slot for young comedians on the show (a few big name African-American comedians are regular featured guests already). That’s an achievement of sorts. Sadly, Noah’s performance turned out to be unfunny. [Read more...]
Is Youssou N’dour qualified to be President?
January 10, 2012 By 7 Comments
Al Jazeera English’s “The Stream” have been focusing a lot on African news themes lately: first South Africa’s ANC’s 100th anniversary; then yesteryday they dedicated the half hour program to #OccupyNigeria. The producers invited journalist Omoyele Sowore of SaharaReporters, Afrobeat musician Sean Kuti (who have been prominent in marches), and Gbenga Sesan from the group Enough is Enough Nigeria. Lively discussion ensued as, among others, Nigerian and international media’s role in the events also come under scrutiny. Later today (2.30pm Eastern Standard Time) they’re continuing the focus on African themes when Senegalese singer Youssou N’dour’s run for president gets an airing. Word is N’dour will be on the program. It will be interesting to see how they tackle N’dour’s candidacy, reported thus far in breathless tones in Western media.
Occupy Nigeria
January 9, 2012 By 7 Comments
Nigeria’s political leaders probably did not expect this kind of response from the populace –mass protests, a national strike starting today that shut down major cities–when they decided, on January 1, 2012, to scrap fuel subsidies (as part of “reforms” to deregulate the oil sector). The rationale was that by freeing money spent on the subsidy they could spend it on infrastructural improvements. The problem is Nigerians people don’t trust the government or overpaid public representatives with taxpayers’ money. [Read more...]
The Hall of Shame
December 23, 2011 By 10 Comments
Before Boima rides us out this year with West Africa’s best dance tunes, we couldn’t resist including a post with some of the lowlights of 2011.
The Rough Guide to the “Arab Spring”
December 21, 2011 By 1 Comment
Here goes my list of Top Ten bloggers, politicians and journalists who are related to the “Arab Spring” of 2011. I can’t stand the term “Arab Spring” but for the sake of Africa Is A Country’s 10×10 theme, let’s use it as an ironic reference.*
Nigeria’s Prophets
December 15, 2011 By 6 Comments
By now you’ve probably watched the (British) Channel 4 TV documentary film about Nigeria’s millionaire preachers–the fake healings, buckets full of money, police escorts, mall openings and the flash, amidst grinding poverty. I watched it last night. Nigerian blogs, not surprisingly, have focused on theological debates thrown up by the documentary. (One of the preachers, Dr Fireman, when quizzed about his ostentatious show of wealth, responds: “Jesus was rich and had an accountant who followed him around.”) No one’s surprised that with low confidence in political and the state, fast money preachers promising eternal salvation, financial wealth and physical health, people follow these men. However, notably absent from the program were the really rich preachers–compiled in a list by a Forbes blogger earlier this Fall– like David Oyedepo (estimated net worth of $150m), Chris Oyakhilome ($30-50m) and TB Joshua ($10-15m) Joshua is the most interesting of the super rich preachers (there’s even a TB Joshua Watch online). Not least because of his alleged healing powers and the fact that he is politically well connected.
“The Somali Neurosis”
December 12, 2011 By 9 Comments
14-minute clip from a recent TV profile by Norwegian television of a visit by Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah to that country. I never imagined book TV could look this good and informative.
Brokeback Iceberg
November 15, 2011 By 1 Comment
Everyone loves an African animal story.
People get terribly upset when African animals are declared extinct (as was the Western Black rhino, last week), but when we see this video about saving the black rhinos, using helicopters, massive amounts of tranquilizers, and WWF’s mighty funds, we get that lovely heart-warming feeling.
And we can’t but go gaga over cute pet hippos who get to come into the kitchen and are treated to an aromatherapy massage, when the cat isn’t even allowed in the lounge (warning to those who have a “I Dream of Africa” reveries and plan to copy these owners: a farmer in South Africa, 40-year old Marius Els, an army major, was bitten to death by the 1.2 tonne hippo he christened Humphrey and tried to domesticate on a farm in Free State province. And our family’s pet monkey sat on a tree and threw mango seeds at visitors, while my pet whydah bird pooped on my sister with remarkable accuracy).
But more than all the animal folklore from Africa, we really love a gay African animal story.
In a story that has been dubbed “Brokeback Iceberg,” the Toronto Zoo attempted to separate two male African penguins, who seem to have a penchant for homosocial interaction (keep in mind that African penguins do not live on icebergs, but on Southern African seashores swept by freezing Antarctic currents). People went berserk when the zoo announced that it had plans to wrench Pedro and Buddy “from each other’s flippers and lock ’em up with females until they nest and take one for the team.”
Now, due to “gay activists [in Canada] and abroad [who] have questioned how Toronto, which led the way in North America on gay marriage, could treat this pair of two-legged waddlers so badly,” they’ve decided to forgo the concerns about conserving an endangered species.
AIAC is all for animal conservation–but not when penguin love is involved.
‘Why is the US sending its troops to finish off a fractured band of bush fighters in the middle of Africa?’
November 2, 2011 By 4 Comments
President Barack Obama’s decision to send 100 armed “special forces” to the Central African Republic to flush out Joseph Kony’s 400 odd fighters (link to the announcement) has elicited the range of predictable responses. John Pilger deplored it and American human rights organizations welcomed it. So did the Western media. John Pilger is not close to the action in Central Africa (the last substantive reporting Pilger did on Africa was his 1998 with his film “Apartheid did not Die“). As for American human rights organizations, the only thing we learned is that they are a powerful lobby in Washington.
But what do Africans in the region think? Especially in Uganda, the country from where Kony originates. Though I’ve read the Ugandan press online, it’s still been hard to find those kinds of opinions in one place. For that I turned to Iranian TV. What?
Yes Iran’s Press TV (basically their version of a global news channel) has a program Africa Today and last week’s edition tackled the question in the title. The video is below. The program is actually fairly decent. It’s worth watching presenter Henry Bonsu and his guests Tabu Butagira (a journalist based in Kampala), Vincent Magombi (a professional commentator) and “a political analyst” work their way through Obama’s motives and what local actors may get out of the increased presence of American military personnel. The panelists reference the newly discovered oil on the borders of eastern Congo and Uganda, having an armed US presence close to “Islamic fundamentalism” in northern Sudan, the fact that larger numbers of American military advisors are already present in the region, and that Kony’s LRA is a spent force inside Uganda at least. The last time the LRA was a threat there was in 2003 according to the panel. The big winner is Yoweri Museveni. For Ugandans the Americans are basically aiding a military infrastructure that will mostly terrorize local people and strengthen an unpopular dictator.
The video:
